Characteristics of those who see themselves in the middle class or above in Icelandic the class system

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify the correlates of subjective class in Iceland using binomial logistic regression; specifically, whether individuals identify as middle class or higher  The data come from the “Social Inequality Module” of the International Social Survey Programme, gathered in Iceland in 2009 and 2010  This study of the relationship between objective and subjective class is inspired by the classical theorists Marx, Weber, and Bourdieu  In addition to studying the relationship between objective class position and subjective class, I examine the effects of labour market position and changes in standard of living following Iceland’s 2008 economic collapse  The main findings are that subjective class is most strongly correlated with education, household income, and objective class position  Moreover, respondents with disabilities have lower odds of identifying as middle class or higher than those who work full-time  The main contribution of this study is to examine the effects of changes in standard of living on subjective class  The findings show that those who experienced a drop in their standard of living following the economic collapse have lower odds of identifying as middle class or higher than those who saw their post[1]collapse living conditions unchanged or improved.